Desktop Gadgets Blog

Ubuntu Release updated

2009-04-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

With the upcoming 9.04 release, Ubuntu added a new calendar styled countdown to their webpage. I've updated the gadget to include an option to switch between the old "Ring" and the new "Calendar" style.

The new version is available on the download page

Ubuntu Release gadget

2009-01-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have released a new small gadget called Ubuntu Release. It will display an image linking to the Ubuntu homepage. If a new release of Ubuntu is coming up the countdown images (just like on ubuntu.com) will be displayed. This way you will not miss the next major release.

Snowman Gadget

2008-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

It is getting colder and snowing here so I decided to create a fun little gadget called Snowman. You can click on it to create a custom Snowman which you can put on your desktop. Give it a try and maybe you want to put a Christmas Tree next to it!

Happy season and have a nice time!

Google Desktop 5.8 and compatibility

2008-09-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

There were a few changes with Google Desktop 5.8 which broke some gadgets. I have checked the most popular gadgets and hope they work as expected. If you find any bugs in any of my gadgets please let me know using the "Report a bug" link on the left.

With the release of Google Desktop 5.8 there was also a change to the official gallery which now lists by popularity instead of by date by default. This moved some gadgets pretty far up (Digital Retro Clock is now on page 1) and I would like to welcome all the new users of the Digital Retro Clock and other gadgets. I'm really happy to see all the downloads and hope you are happy with the gadgets. Since this means that new gadgets aren't listed on the first page anymore be sure to check this blog for the latest gadget releases.

More Digital Retro Clock updates

2008-09-27T23:22:00.001-07:00

There have been a few updates to the Digital Retro Clock gadget. The first update added compatibility to the newly released Google Desktop 5.8. Another update Yesterday added two new features

It is now possible to hide the blinking dot. I always thought it wouldn't be distracting but I realized that if there are more than one gadget in the sidebar and the dots are not in sync it really is distracting and odd.
I also added support to add cusstom text on the clock instead of the timezone.

The new version is available on the download page and will be listed as an update in your add gadgets dialog soon.

Separator gadget released

2008-09-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

A new gadget has recently been released. It is very simple but might be useful to some. It is called separator and will basically add a blank space to your sidebar. The idea was to allow you to better manage your sidebar since there is no way to move the gadgets to the bottom of the sidebar or add spacing between gadgets. This is where this gadget comes in.

Interested? Grab it on the download page now!

New Digital Retro Clock released

2008-08-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

This week I had a few updates for the Digital Retro Clock. The gadget now includes the Venezuela timezone -4:30.

And thanks to the work of Szijártó József the gadget now includes a hungarian translation file.

If you want to have one of the gadgets in your own language you can help too, just follow the instructions on the translation page.

Hulu gadget released

2008-08-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and love watching TV shows then you will really love the newly released Hulu gadget. For those who do not know what Hulu is a webpage by NBC and FOX where they offer a lot of their series for free. These are not just old classics you see as reruns all the time but also some of the latest and greatest shows like Prison Break, Heroes, Burn Notice or Eureka. You can even watch the latest episodes after they air!

The gadget allows you to choose your favorite show (or shows if you add the gadget multiple times) and keep track of newly released episodes or TV clips. So head over to the download page and see if your favorite shows are listed or discover new and exciting shows! I can recommend Burn Notice and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which I discovered on Hulu.

Have fun but don't forget to check by from time to time for new gadgets!

Web TV and Radio gadget

2008-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Teodor Filimon, a fellow Google Desktop gadget developer and API Guru has recently released a really great new gadget.

The "Web TV and Radio" gadget does exactly that. It allows you to easily watch your favorite web TV and radio stations. It features a very slim interface which gives you as much space as possible for your viewing pleasure. All controls are just visible when you hover over the viewing area and automatically hide when you watch your show. You can even use it as a media player for your local movie and audio files and watch them on your desktop (while working ;). As a great additional service there is a channels database which gets updated from time to time so you can check out new and exciting channels which other users like. You can, of course, add your own channels too!

If this got you interested head over to the gadgets webpage and give it a try!

Lively and Gadgets

2008-07-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

This week Google launched Lively which is a 3D environment where users can create their own rooms, chat with others and then embed these rooms into their website.

One feature of Lively is the support for Google Desktop gadgets. It is possible to add them to surfaces but with one small catch: It's not possible to interact with them.

So far there are only a very few gadgets which might be usable for Lively but I wish there were more. This is why I am looking for your ideas. If you are using Lively and have an idea for a gadget which could be useful for your and other 3D rooms let me know. The most obvious gadgets are of course clocks since they just depend on the time and nothing more. But what else would you like to see in Lively?

If you have a crazy idea let me know using the comments or via mail to benjamin _AT_ desktop-gadgets _DOT_ net.

Tip: Use SQLite3 in your gadget

2008-07-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

While saving into the options is very easy you sometimes work with more data. This often requires a real database which supports features like sorting, grouping, randomized access or limiting the request to a number of datasets. Here is a tip on how to use sqlite3 in your gadget.

The first thing you need is the the sqlite3 ActiveX object from http://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/litex. Just download the zip archive in the files section of the webpage. The DLL is located in the \litex\bin\ folder of the zip archive. Copy the sqlite3.dll into your gadgets root folder.

Then open your gadget.gmanifest in your favorite editor. After the <about> tag add the following install tag for the sqlite3 object:

<install>
  <object name="sqlite3"
     clsid="3E22694D-7B92-42A1-89A7-668E2F7AA107"
     src="sqlite3.dll"/>
</install>

Now you can create a new instance of the sqlite3 object in your code and work with sqlite3 - either with a database on the disk or in memory:

var sqlite = new sqlite3();
debug.trace("SQLite3 version: "+sqlite.version( true ) );
sqlite.open( ":memory:" );
sqlite.execute("CREATE TABLE Test(a);");
sqlite.execute("INSERT INTO test VALUES (4);");
sqlite.close();

Check the PDF on the litex webpage for all supported functions. You can now use your sqlite3 database from your gadget. Unfortunately this is currently only supported on Windows.

Gadget Creator launched

2008-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have launched a new free service on Desktop Gadgets. The service is called "Gadget Creator" and lets you create your own gadgets. At the moment the Gadget Creator supports creation of RSS/ATOM feed gadgets.

There are a lot of webpages that offer feeds but only a few of them have gadgets. This service allows you to easily create a gadget for these webpages and also to share these gadgets with your friends.

If you have a webpage and would like to offer a basic gadget for your page feel free to use it to create a gadget. If you do please link back to the service so others can find it as well.

Should you require a more specialized gadget for your webpage you can also contact me.

Try out the Gadget Creator now!

Desktop gadgets blog

2008-06-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

I decided to launch a blog for the webpage. The main use for this blog is to notify about new gadgets and gadget updates as well as some general news related to Google Desktop and maybe other gadget engines.

new domain

2008-06-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

The webpage has moved to a new domain. It has now moved to www.desktop-gadgets.net.
The old domain www.googledesktopgadgets.com is still available and will redirect to the new domain.

All gadgets have also been updated to the new domain.